Blood Roses
by nnaa
Summary: A slight NaruSaku fanfic, my first uploaded onto this site, in factWhen Naruto goes too far in the showdown with Orochimaru, can Sakura escape his Genjutsu to save Naruto from Kyuubi? And at what fatal cost? Three chapters so far, I'd love feedback


Blood Roses Naru-Saku

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, characters, places, etc.

any text in bold is inner- thoughts.

_**1 month earlier**_

" I don't care how fast your regeneration is, keep trying a move like that and you're going to break your neck or something!" Sakura scolded the blonde, packing away her first- aid kit.

She sighed: it was true; she could see the red of the deep gash on his shoulder receding as his unnaturally fast healing rate got to work.

He grinned guiltily, and she stole a quick kiss, their Sensei having to dash off to some emergency (both Sakura and her team-mate harboured the suspect this had an awful lot to do with the newest release in the Icha Icha series)

"You should know me well enough, Sakura," He pulled away and stood, his face aglow with confidence, lighting his eyes like Summer sky, "to know that I'm invincible!" He jerked his chest with his thumb, half-laughing, yet strangely serious, at least to himself.

"That's the problem with you!" She teased, matching his height and placing her hands defiantly on her hips- a gesture Naruto was well- accustomed to, and had re-defined its meaning from annoyance to playfulness.

"You –think- you're indestructible, and don't realise that one day you really can get hurt," Her face had soured, facing the harsh reality that one day- and day now, really there might be an accident...an ambush perhaps, and Naruto would not seem so indestructible then. No, in fact he seemed too fragile. She pictured his ever-present smile, broken, under vacant eyes...lonely...cold.

The boy frowned, "Earth to Sakura?" he whined, "What's up? We were just discussing how brilliant and strong I am," That smile that could bring out the sun again. Even after six years of knowing Naruto, he hadn't changed him all that much.

"Besides, even if I am beaten to an unrecognisable pulp,"- her face hardened- "I'll always have –that- trump card," He jabbed a finger at his exposed stomach, the seal reacting to this, and extending its inky patters across his skin.

_Naruto__, wild- demonic even- changed and deformed by the red chakra, turning deeper with every second as it merged with his blood. Thrashing out and –accidentally__?-__ searing Sakura's skin, leaving fading scars on her upper arm. _

_**No, that wo**__**n't happen again**__** I'll make sure of that.**_

__

She smiled, a little unconvincingly perhaps, although Naruto seemed to be satisfied. He replaced his shirt, the wound now fully healed.

They walked together back to Konohoa, in search of their ever-elusive Sensei, his arm around her shoulders, the taller of the two relishing all that he had worked towards –friends- success- _love?-_ with ever breath.

A certain shot in Sakura's medial pack was uncomfortably heavy.

**End of prologue**

From their advantage point, and also due to the fact half the forest had been demolished, Sakura thought they might have had a clear idea of how the battle- _of the titans__?-_ had resulted. However, there really was too much blood.

_**This is where it all **__**led;**__** this is the result of our m**__**onths- hell- years of training?**_

In his clash with the ominous Orochimaru, the reality was that Naruto had relied on the Nine Tail's chakra, (whether through choice, sheer desperation or against his own will) causing a shroud of chakra, encasing him in the Fox's power. Naruto himself had retreated to all fours, and Sakura could almost see the burning blood-red eyes, cleft with a vivid vertical pupil.

The forest that had served as their battleground was unrecognisable as such anymore, having been torn, slashed, burned and utterly compressed into a smoky plane, a scan on the Fire Country.

Orochimaru himself, having absorbed Sasuke's soul some months ago, had fared well, considering Naruto had started to unleash the Nine Tail's fury, although both's breathing had become laboured, their chakra severely drained, though not yet depleated.

_**But**__** this is only the start...**_

"Oh God," Sakura breathed, and paled as Naruto launched again. Extending his right arm as he ran, the jinchuriki sent the chakra in an echo of his own hand at the third Legendary Sannin. Orochimaru parried the blow with the Kusanagi, which he quickly withdrew back inside his mouth, snake and all. Naruto gave out something between a hiss and a scream, launching himself forward again, using the chakra-powered limbs to guide his movement and catapult him forwards.

Team 7's captain frowned, temporarily replacing the headband over his Sharingan to preserve his own chakra while Naruto's fight progressed. Already he'd used up four fifths of his chakra. Too much.

_**It really is amazing he hasn't grown the fourth tail yet. The amount of self- control he must be exercising to keep the demon's **__**chakra from overflowing and taking him over like that...amazing...**__**Naruto**___

As a result of this, Orochimaru was sent ultimately on the defence, blocking where he could, parrying whenever possible and having to retreat to evade blows totally a lot more than he would like.

But now...oh yes, now he had the ever-elusive Sharingan within him, having taken it form that Uchiha genius- Sasuke, was that his name? He was beginning to forget already. Not that it mattered. Only he, Orochimaru the Immortal mattered.

"But look at me, Naruto-kun," The man sneered raspily, his eyes greedily on the jinchuriki. "I have grown old since we have last battled. Already I can feel Sasuke's soul heavy on me," This mention of the last Uchiha caused a convultion within the young Vessel, his hair bristling and his clothes crackling with infuriated chakra, bubbling and swelling around him, not yet merging with his blood, yet so close to.

The elder man's pupils expanded ever so slightly. How long had it been since he had taken over the dark haired boy's body? A year? Two years? Three years even? Time was hard to judge when you were immortal. Yet, somehow he knew it was nearing the latter. His own body was telling him that same thing. In the form of blood droplets on his pillow at morning.

_**The **__**sharingan**____** I still haven't used it to its full extent, its full advantage. How long had I longed for the perfect vessel? **__**The perfect **__**Uchiha**____** In the end, even **__**Itatchi**__** proved no match for **__**Sasuke**__**. And now this**__** power is dwindling, wasting...**_

He glanced up at the miniature demon-fox.

_**Three tails...three tails already and yet he's as strong as he was at four, those thre**__**e years ago. He's grown nicely...**_

Orochimaru grinned, radiating sickness in the reflection of his enemy's fiery red chakra glow.


End file.
